


...And the Thief Who Saw

by GrumpyJenn



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-07 19:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3180413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpyJenn/pseuds/GrumpyJenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sure it'll be non-canon again when I'm done witching tonight's episodes, but what the heck :)</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Don’t care what your I.Q. is, mate; you’re stupid!” Ezekiel was shouting, and Baird went to investigate. But as she swung around the corner of the shelf, Zeke rounded on her. “And you’re just as bad!”

“Excuse me?” She looked at Stone for an explanation, and he gave her a shrug and an annoyed look, so she turned to the young Australian. “You want to explain that a little more calmly?”

He looked at them both, and then shook his head in disgust. “You’re hurting Cassandra, you idiots! And you can’t even see it.” He took a deep breath and visibly calmed himself. “Look, you keep trying to protect her, Baird, she’s gonna blow, just trying to prove herself to ya. And you, Stone, one of these days she’s gonna get herself killed trying to prove to _you_ that she can be trusted!” He was getting worked up again, his accent more pronounced, and he finally just threw his hands up in the air. “Forget it. Hell must be freezin’ over, because _I’m_ the only one who can see what you two are doin’ to her! Me, the selfish one! I might be selfish, mate, but I’m also a trained observer, and I can see you’re hurtin’ ‘er!”

And he stood there, panting and red-faced, glaring at them both, poised to fight or flee; no-one was sure which.

“Why would you care?” Jake’s voice was soft. “You said it; you’re the selfish one. So why would you care?”

“I like ‘er,” Zeke said, and Jake shoved down a twinge of jealousy. “She’s… sweet. Even with everything going to shit all around her she’s sweet.”

“If you…” Jake began, and Zeke shook his head.

“Not like that, mate, no. Like, I dunno, I want to… protect her, like she’s my sister or somethin’.”

“Me too,” Eve said thoughtfully, “And maybe that’s the Guardian talking but maybe you’re right. I’m… overprotecting.”

“Well, you two better figger it out, ‘cause you’re killin’ her,” Zeke said, and left them there.

“Huh.”

“Yeah, huh. Did we just get scolded for our behavior toward another person, by _Ezekiel_?”

“I think we did,” Jake said quietly, and then so quietly that Eve almost didn’t hear it. “And he was right.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Zeke, I appreciate the concern, but I wish you hadn’t said anything,” Cassandra said, wringing her hands. “Now they’ll both think I can’t do _that_ for myself either.”

“That’s crap, Cass. You weren’t doing it for yourself, were you? And they both looked like I’d hit ‘em in the head, all shocked and shamed. As they should.” He took her hands, stilling the restless wringing. “I think they do trust _you_ , Cass, just not the Brain Grape.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Don’t call it that.”

“Can’t help it; it’s the problem here, isn’t it? Look, if they can trust me of all people, they can trust you, ‘slong as you’re in control. The Grape’s the reason anything around you goes bad.”

Cassie sighed. “No, it’s not. What about the Apples? And the first time? I…” She looked like she was about to cry, and Zeke patted the hand he held.

“Apple wasn’t your fault, not even the Grape’s; we all felt it. Except me, but that’s because I’m awesome.” He smirked at her, and felt rewarded with the little half smile.

“That’s because you’re already bad, you mean. And the first time? I was weak. They’ll never trust me, no matter what Eve said at the end of it. I can’t be trusted.”

“But you can, Cassandra.” It was Eve, and she gave Zeke a look that made him let go of Cassandra’s hands, give them both a sloppy, saucy salute, and leave the room. Cassandra started to apologize, but Eve held up one hand to stop her. “Look, I… it’s my job to keep you – all of you – safe. And you’re just not as physically healthy as either of the guys, or me. Sometimes I… I guess I overreact. I can try to ease back, but I need you to do one thing for me.”

“I…” Cassie began, but Eve interrupted.

“I’ll try to back off, not protect you from yourself as much… if you stop putting yourself in harm’s way to prove you can handle it. Deal?”

“Deal.”


	3. Chapter 3

Cassandra felt a little better as she puttered around a shelf filled with books on Arthurian legend, and she supposed that Zeke had done the right thing, at least where Colonel Baird was concerned. Jacob Stone was another issue, though, and Cassie wasn’t at all sure about him. Of all of them, Jake’s good opinion mattered to her most. Except maybe Flynn’s, but he wasn’t around much.

It didn’t help that she still felt guilty for that first betrayal. And although Eve had come right to her in her forthright way, it had been hours and she hadn’t heard from Jake at all. _I knew it,_ she thought sourly. _Eve might take what Ezekiel told them to heart, but not Jake. There has to be some way to make him understand_ , _I didn’t mean to hurt them, any of them, I_ couldn’t _, I…_

_beautiful  scents_   
_of history and art and_   
_of patterns and_   
_time and numbers and…_

“Cassie, come on, sweetheart, focus.”

Jake gripped Cassandra’s biceps, holding her upright. Usually in these spells of her she waved her arms around, said things relevant to whatever they were after at the time, but this… this was painful and frightening to watch. She was swaying on her feet – or would be if he wasn’t holding her up – and just babbling about nothing.

And then she stopped babbling and went completely, bonelessly limp. He barely caught her before she slid right through his fingers onto the floor. “Cassie?” He picked her up to cradle her in his arms.

“What the hell did you do to her, mate?” Part of Jake was amused at Ezekiel’s tone; it took a lot to shock their thief. But most of his mind was on Cassie.

“Nothing,” he snapped. “Open that damn door.” He nodded at one of the handy reading rooms the Annex seemed to pop up at need, and Zeke almost scurried over to wrench it open. Carefully, Jake shouldered past him just as Baird skidded around the corner.

“What did you do? I felt…” she began, and Jake felt himself glare at her, even as he laid Cassandra’s limp form gently on a sofa.

“Cassie?” Brushing hair back from her forehead, keeping his eyes on her face, Jake more or less growled at the other two. “Go away.” At their protests, he sighed, still watching the redhead. “She’s okay, breathing and pulse are steady; she’s sleeping off the spell now. Just go away and let me deal with this.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Stone. Jake. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Colonel. She’ll be okay. Just go.” Jake waited until the door closed behind the thief and the Guardian, and then rested his ear on Cassie’s chest. He hadn’t lied; he _had_ been sure. But it didn’t hurt to double-check, and the heartbeat and breaths under his ear were strong and steady and a little slow. _Out cold_ , he thought, _but not like a head injury; this was more like sleeping off exhaustion, more deeply asleep than unconscious._

Jake let himself relax. “I’m so sorry, Cass,” he murmured, perching on the edge of the couch and moving up to press his lips to her forehead.

“Me too,” he heard her breathe, and he jerked back.

Her eyes were open, a bit unfocused, but open. They were ringed with dark shadows of fatigue and pain, and it made Jake’s heart ache to see her like this. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Cassie. I do. I was way too hard on you about the Sword.”

“I betrayed you, betrayed the whole team.” And the blue sheened over with tears.

Jake shook his head. “We weren’t even a team yet, Cassie. And that bi—the Brotherhood manipulated you.”

“I know. I was stupid,” she said miserably, and he smiled a little, smoothing her hair back.

“No. Naïve, maybe. But not stupid.” Jake took a deep breath. “And I’m sorry for making you think…”

“It’s okay,” Cassandra said, her face lighting up. She turned toward the hand in her hair.

And then she pressed a kiss into his palm and Jake’s breath caught. “Cass…”

The light went right out of her eyes and she turned her face away. “You still don’t trust me,” she whispered. “I thought maybe…” The last word was a choked sob, and the sound went through Jake like a knife in the gut.

“Cassie.” _There has to be some way to make her understand_ , Jake thought _, I didn’t mean to hurt her, I_ … Taking her chin lightly between fingertips and leaning down, he kissed her.

It was a gentle kiss, and sweet; though it was chaste it held a hint of promise. It said something like _when you’re well, when you’ve recovered from this, we’ll talk about it then_.

Jake broke the kiss, and smiled down at Cassandra, and said, “Come on now, Cass. Go back to sleep. I’ve got you.” And as she drifted off she thought she heard him say…

“Like you do me.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure it'll be non-canon again when I'm done witching tonight's episodes, but what the heck :)


End file.
